Heart of a Human
by hidaruma
Summary: A doctor, a surgeon, a healer. That was what he was meant to be. Even God had that very same opinion of his fate, judging from the sacred gear he received from the system. Just when had things gone so wrong? Instead of a scalpel in his hand carefully making incisions, it was a sword carving through the flesh of his enemies. Instead of saving lives, he was the one taking them.
1. Dog Days

Chapter 1: Dog Days

 _Hey everyone, welcome to my most recent work, "Heart of a Human". For those of you who have read my other works you know what to expect from my writing, though I do admit that this one is far more planned out than my other two. For those of you who are new to my stories, I hope you find this one to be to your liking._

 _How about some character tags to give you an idea about what's going on and to hopefully answer a few of your questions in advance_ —

 _Tags: Doctor!Naruto, Surgeon!Naruto, SacredGear!Naruto, Longinus!Naruto, Human!Naruto, Chakra!Naruto, DxD-Born!Naruto._

 _And since I know how important pairings tend to be in Naruto/DxD stories, I'll say right off the bat that neither Rias nor Akeno will be involved with Naruto in a romantic sense. As for who he will actually be paired with, I do have my ideas but everything is still up in the air at this point. My motivation for writing this particular story is based on plot line rather than pairing. Oh, I will say that Irina will definitely be a part of the pairing for those who are looking for something different._

 _For those Kunou fans out there, you'll be happy to know that this little cutie will be getting a lot of spotlight in this story. She probably won't be in any kind of pairing because of her young age, but once I introduce her role in the story you'll be glad she's in it for the long haul._

 _This isn't really all that important at the moment, but the start of this chapter takes place three years prior to the start of the Highschool DxD storyline._

 _Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Highschool DxD._

* * *

 **Heart of a Human**

* * *

 **Dog Days**

The hallways of the research institute within Grigori Headquarters were silent as a lone figure made its way toward the vault which contained the sacred gears that were undergoing research along with the artificial sacred gears that were still in their early stages of development. Normally this section of the research facility was guarded by top-class fallen angels, but because of the attempt on Azazel's life just now all focus of the Grigori was on him and the perpetrators.

Raynare's lips spread into a thin smile as she approached the towering double doors to the vault. Bringing her hand up, she deployed a large magic circle before the doors that released the seal placed on it which prevented any fallen angel without the proper authority from entering. What would be noted as out of place was that the magic circle that she used was norse magic rather than the standard fallen angel's style of magic, along with the fact that it was filled with magic power that no fallen angel with only one set of wings should possess.

The double doors opened, revealing a massive modernized room with sacred gears lining each of the walls from top to bottom. There were easily hundreds of sacred gears within the room. Each sacred gear resided within a cubic, transparent case that was embedded into the wall and labelled accordingly. In the middle of the room were a number of desks and computers for studying the sacred gears that were restricted to this room and for compiling research.

Raynare walked toward the center of the room and settled herself down before one of the computers and opened up the archive for the sacred gears recorded in the room. Her eyes quickly scanned over each of the entries, only stopping to memorize the entry numbers of the three sacred gears that she had come for. Once she recorded the final entry in her mind, Raynare covered her tracks and deleted any evidence of what she had been looking for.

Satisfied with her results, the young fallen angel spread the single set of wings that she possessed and flew to one side of the room in search of the sacred gears that she had set her sights on.

Raynare sighed to herself, it had taken a few minutes but she had gathered all three of the sacred gears. There on the table rested [Blaze Black Flare], [Delete Field], and [Shadow Prison], each within their respective cases. The final three sacred gears that held fragments of the Dragon King Vritra's soul.

"First phase, success. For this next part though I'll need my real body."

If one were to pay attention to her shadow, they would notice it shift and distort until a young man emerged from it, and in doing so released the hold that he previously had on her mind and body. Before the fallen angel could even realize that she was in control of her own body once again, the young man unsheathed the ninjatō from his back and carved through her body with great precision, killing her instantly.

He swung his ninjatō to the side to rid it of the blood that now stained the blade before re-sheathing it on his back. It was hard to discern his age because his face wasn't visible, but judging from his height and physical development, he looked to be a young man of about fifteen years of age. He possessed a lean and muscular body that was only accentuated by his attire. On his upper body was a tight, black, short-sleeved shirt and a grey flack jacket. On his arms were a pair of metal arm guards and black gloves. On his lower body were a pair of black pants and ancient shinobi sandals. His unruly golden-blond hair hung over his white, porcelain, dog-themed mask, which obscured his face. He did not know of his true name, but within his organization he went by the name Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto seemingly ignored the dead body of the fallen angel he had just killed, stepping over her and making his way toward the sacred gears. With a single wave a his hand a norse magic circle appeared before each of the transparent cases, releasing the lock on each of them and freeing them from their confines. He then pulled out a small scroll from the pouch on his back hip and unraveled it, revealing that it had been inscribed with a complex fūinjutsu.

Laying the scroll on the ground, Naruto poured a bit of his chakra into it which resulted in a small burst of smoke being released from the unsealing process. Once the smoke dispersed, it revealed a large amber pot with a thick, white rope tied around its rim. The Kohaku no Jōhei, one of the treasured tools of the Sage of the Six Paths and possibly the most powerful sealing item in all of mythology. It had taken him quite a bit of time to uncover this particular item, but it was well worth it.

"Hm. Last time unsealing Vritra's soul from the sacred gear took too long and with three of them this time it would take even longer..." Naruto muttered to himself, removing the lid from the Kohaku no Jōhei and revealing that it was filled to its brim with a dark liquid. "Maybe since each fragment of his soul is here, the original sealing method will work..."

There were fourteen Vritra sacred gears in total, with the ones before him being the remaining three. The other eleven fragments of Vritra's soul had already been released and sealed into the Kohaku no Jōhei, so with that all fourteen fragments of Vritra's soul were accounted for. As such, it might be possible for the consciousness of Vritra within the [Blaze Black Flare], [Delete Field], and [Shadow Prison] to begin their awakening before being reunited with the other soul fragments. It would make the sealing proceed much quicker than originally expected.

"Well, won't know until we try." Naruto shrugged his shoulders before bringing his hands into a single hand seal. He than called out the evil black dragon's name. "Vritra!"

A thick silence permeated the room, however, because of his high sensory capabilities and his ability to feel all forms of life around him, he could feel a peculiar stirring within each of three sacred gears which wasn't previously there. A moment later each of the sacred gears appeared to activate and a distinctive roar could be heard coming from them, breaking the silence that had settled in the room.

After the roaring settled down, a stream of black aura seeped out of each of the sacred gears and was pulled into the Kohaku no Jōhei, where it merged with the dark liquid and was sealed. Naruto continued to hold that single hand seal as the sealing continued and the black aura that represented Vritra's soul endlessly flooded out of the sacred gear that had contained it for so very long.

Though this process was extracting Vritra's soul from the sacred gears, it wouldn't completely remove the original abilities of them should they ever be put into use. Naruto had learned this when he unsealed the fragment of Vritra's soul that resided within the [Absorption Line], the boy, Genshirou Saji, who had yet to awaken his sacred gear, remained alive and retained his full potential even after the sealing was complete. It was a strange phenomenon that Naruto figured was another bug in the sacred gear system as when a sacred gear was completely removed the host would die.

Naruto let out a breath and released the hand seal had been holding once the final fragments of Vritra's soul had been sealed within the Kohaku no Jōhei. Even if Vritra was considered to be the weakest amongst the dragon kings when it came to raw power, it would still take a lot of energy to seal him away. Especially when using the already chakra taxing Kohaku no Jōhei on three different sources at once.

With the sealing process completed, Naruto placed the lid back onto the large, amber pot once more and poured a bit of chakra into the fūinjutsu formula which sealed it back into the scroll. With that done, he placed the scroll back into the pouch on his back hip and moved to retrieve the sacred gears, however, he was stopped by a sudden voice.

"So you're the cause of the commotion upstairs."

Naruto immediately raised his guard and quickly turned around, finding himself face to face with a teenager that looked to be of Japanese descent and seemed to be a few years older than him. He had heard the rumors of this man and his affiliation with the Grigori, but hadn't thought he would have the pleasure of crossing paths with him during this particular mission. It would seem that the rumors were true after all, with his own eyes Naruto was able to discern that the man before him was indeed a Longinus possessor.

"Using those three fallen angels as decoys wasn't a bad idea and would've had most fooled..." The man commented as he entered through the large double doors, his eyes shifting to the three sacred gears that laid on the table in the center of the room. He then motioned to the small black puppy that was perched on his shoulder. "But Jin was able to pick up a scent heading toward the research facility, and here we are."

"Ikuse Tobio, better known under the alias _Slash Dog_. A top member amongst Grigori's ranks—only ranking below the leaders that originally formed the organization—and the wielder of one of the thirteen Longinus, [Canis Lykaon]." Naruto stated matter-of-factly as he brought his arms up and dropped into a fighting stance.

"You're quite well-informed, as expected of Root. I've never personally come across your organization before, but I've heard the rumors. An organization that was created several decades ago, its members comprised solely of humans whether they be sacred gear users, magicians, former exorcists, or even those who have somehow attained abilities similar to that of the Youkai faction. A group that is deeply involved in the blackmarket dealings of both the human and supernatural world. Organ harvesting, drug trade, arms dealing, kidnapping, assassination, terrorism, the trafficking of humans and various races of supernatural beings, and even greater atrocities that I thankfully remain unaware of."

"You seem to be quite well-informed yourself, Ikuse Tobio." Naruto spoke in an even, emotionless tone, unperturbed by accusations that Slash Dog sent at his organization. In truth his mission could be considered completed, but this was a rare opportunity to observe the capabilities of this generation's [Canis Lykaon].

"I don't know quite what you just removed from those sacred gears, but I must ask that you return it." Slash Dog stopped about twenty meters away from Naruto and sighed. "I don't suppose you'd return it willingly now, would you?"

The only answer the teen received was silence.

"I see...To be honest, I prefer fighting behind the scenes as opposed to taking things head on. Though I'd recommend you don't take me lightly, it'll be hard to take you in alive if I kill you from the very start. Now then..." Slash Dog raised one of his hands and summoned a powerful barrier that blocked off all walls of the room, preventing any kind of escape from blasting through them and protecting the sacred gears imbedded within them from damage. "Jin!"

Naruto watched as the small black puppy that was perched on Slash Dog's shoulder—that apparently went by the name of Jin—jumped off onto the ground and shifted from its small puppy form into that of a massive black dog with golden eyes, standing at a height of nearly ten meters tall. Then, at that moment, Jin disappeared from visibility.

Naruto's eyes, however, were able to keep up with the high speeds of Jin and charged forward with his own incredible speed, drawing the ninjatō from his back in the blink of an eye and swinging it to the side as he spun in the air. The young Root agent ceased his midair acrobatics and quickly landed on the ground, the friction causing his feet to drag on the ground until he came to a stop directly in between Jin and Slash Dog. Jin now occupied the position that Naruto had originally started out in, his claws elongated into massive blades with unparalleled sharpness, though there was a shallow wound on his side that just closed up due to its midair encounter.

 _'An independent avatar-type Longinus? How troublesome.'_ Naruto thought with narrowed eyes behind his mask as he used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on Jin. _'Incredible speed, independent instinct, and the ability to instantaneously produce blades from its own body. The [Canis Lykaon] is certainly deserving of its title as a Longinus.'_

Naruto looked down at his own weapon and noticed that there were already shallow cracks and signs of wear along the blade from just single swing. Not only was the [Canis Lykaon] able to produce blades from its body, but its actual body was harder than even the strongest steel. He could not claim that kenjutsu was his specialty, but he was far superior than that of knight pieces from even the most experienced peerages. For his blade to be rendered to a near unusable state after only a single swing was truly remarkable.

It was a mistake to attempt to take on another Longinus without even activating his own. Heh, despite having already completed his emotional conditioning, he still had his moments of arrogance and pride. Though, before he resolved himself to activate his own Longinus, his attention was immediately grasped by the actions of the [Canis Lykaon]. The independent avatar-type sacred gear appeared to lean down over the table, where the Vritra sacred gears were, and took them into its mouth before swallowing them.

Because Naruto's eyes could instantly analyze and understand all forms of life, he could easily see through the outer surface of Jin's body and see that the Vritra sacred gears hadn't been devoured nor had they become a part of its body. No, it was hard to put into words, but it could be compared to simply picking up a sword and using it for temporary use. For the [Canis Lykaon] to be able to adapt any sacred gear into its body—even if only for temporary use—was a powerful ability, especially in a place like the Grigori where they specialized in sacred gear research and development.

"[Black Blaze Flare], [Delete Field], and [Shadow Prison], huh? Those are some pretty dangerous sacred gears. For Root to get their hands on them...I don't even want to think what could happen." Slash Dog muttered only moments after Jin had swallowed the sacred gears. It would be dangerous for everyone if an organization like Root were to come into possession of the Vritra sacred gears. While their abilities were not overwhelmingly powerful like that of the Longinus-tier sacred gears, their wide variety in ability more than made up for it and was something to be feared.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he heard Slash Dog's whisper, despite the fact that it should have been impossible for a human at this distance. The fact that the man was aware of the names and abilities of the sacred gears only a moment after they entered the body of the [Canis Lykaon] meant that despite being an independent avatar-type Longinus, there was still a link between possessor and sacred gear. More importantly though, Slash Dog would gain instant knowledge of the sacred gears that Jin absorbed and be able to play off of that. This generation's wielder of the [Canis Lykaon] was certainly an interesting fellow.

"Jin!"

The Longinus nodded at Slash Dog's unspoken command and raised its head, black flames coalesced in the air just inches above its mouth as it continued to grow in size until it easily dwarfed the independent avatar. Slash Dog raised a single hand and erected a powerful barrier in front of him so that he wouldn't get caught in the blast as the only thing between him and the mass of deadly flames. Jin then reared his head back and launched the massive fireball forward, seemingly discarding any previous intentions of bringing the Root agent back alive.

Naruto smirked as he saw the mass of scorching hot flames heading straight toward him. Though he had already completed his mission objective in retrieving the fragments of Vritra's soul, this was the first time that he had witnessed the use of one of Vritra's wide variety of abilities. All of the Vritra sacred gear possessors that he had encountered thus far either hadn't awakened their sacred gear yet or were completely incompetent in its usage, not even aware of how to access its power.

Reaching into the storage pouch on his back hip, Naruto pulled out a tri-pronged kunai and went through a short sequence of hand seals before thrusting his hands forward with the kunai centered in the middle of them. A large fūinjutsu formula erected itself and spread out to cover a wide space in the air with the kunai acting as the epicenter. The mass of flames headed right toward the fūinjutsu barrier, however, instead of dispersing upon contact or breaking through the barrier, the space centered around the formula distorted and Vritra's black flames seem to sink into that distorted space until it was warped away to another previously marked kunai.

 _ **'Hiraishin: Dōrai (Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder).'**_

Both Slash Dog and the [Canis Lykaon] looked to be confused at what had just occurred, though their attention was immediately shifted onto what sounded like a large explosion coming from one of the upper floors along with the rumbling of the entire building from the force of the impact.

Taking the opportunity that their momentary loss of focus gave him, Naruto threw his Hiraishin kunai in the direction of the independent Longinus, but instead of teleporting to it immediately, he used his own tremendous speed to move in the opposite direction, closing the ten meter distance between himself and Slash Dog before the Grigori agent could even realize it.

Utilizing his tremendous physical strength, Naruto shattered the barrier that the man had erected earlier with a single swing of his arm. The masked blond then immediately dropped down to the ground, positioning himself directly under Slash Dog, and sent a powerful kick upwards at the man's jaw. Slash Dog's head was forcefully thrust back and the power behind the kick was more than enough to send him into the air. Flipping over onto all fours, Naruto seemingly vanished in a burst of pure physical speed as he moved to shadow Slash Dog's midair movements.

As the arc of Slash Dog's trajectory evened out, Naruto appeared directly behind the man. Amidst shadowing the man's flight, Naruto spun around the older teen and slammed the back of his forearm into the man's chest sending him downwards. As Naruto's momentum carried him he slammed his other forearm into Slash Dog's chest once more, greatly increasing the speed at which they descended.

 _ **'Shishi Rendan (Lion's Barrage).'**_

To finish off his unique taijutsu combo, Naruto flipped in midair and dropped a powerful axe-kick into the man's gut just before they made contact with the ground. Slash Dog impacted the ground with enough momentum behind him to create a small crater in the ground before it shattered from the force of his body, whereas before Naruto could suffer the recoil from his jutsu, he instantly teleported to the Hiraishin kunai which was flying over the body of the [Canis Lykaon] at that very moment.

The young blond had completed his devastating taijutsu technique with unparalleled speed, the entire sequence lasting no longer than two or three seconds in total. With fluid movements and precise timing that only came with years of experience, he had planned it accordingly so at the exact moment he landed the finishing move of the Shishi Rendan, his Hiraishin kunai would be in just the right positioning for him to take care of the [Canis Lykaon].

Catching the Hiraishin kunai with his left hand, Naruto spun in midair as he created a spiraling mass of yellow chakra in his right hand. Thrusting his arm forward Naruto drove his signature jutsu into the back of the [Canis Lycaon], grinding through its body, despite its steel-like skin, and launching it into the ground with enough destructive force to shatter the floor below, forming a crater that easily dwarfed the size of Jin's body.

 _ **'Rasengan!'**_

As the independent Longinus was howling in pain, Naruto noticed that all the damage that was suffered from the Rasengan was already beginning to regenerate. Though it was far below his own regeneration speed, it was still recovering faster than the Rasengan could grind through its body.

 _'Tch. Regenerative abilities are always a pain.'_ Naruto thought to himself as his Rasengan continued to grind through the body of the Longinus and its body continued to regenerate in a continuous cycle. It was then that a thought came to his head.

Switching tactics, Naruto dispersed his Rasengan and instead placed his hand on Jin's body. A complex fūinjutsu formula spread outwards from Naruto's hand, covering a potion of the massive dog's back as he activated the seal.

 _ **'Keiyaku Fūin (Contract Seal)!'**_

Naruto smirked behind his mask as he felt the contract seal sever the link between the Longinus and Slash Dog. The contract seal was developed to remove any direct control that exists between two beings, so in theory it should work against an independent avatar-type sacred gear. This fūinjutsu was especially useful against devils as it removed the link between master and servant, as well as preventing reincarnated devils from accessing the powers that the evil piece system granted them.

The [Canis Lykaon] let out a subdued growl before it sank into its own shadow, moving across the shattered floor until it merged with Slash Dog's own shadow, who was slowly getting up from his own place on the destroyed floor.

With his eyes Naruto was able to confirm that the independent avatar-type once again resided within the Grigori agent. Through this fight he was able to gather quite a bit of information on the [Canis Lykaon] Longinus. Though there were records of the sacred gear from previous generations, they had never left much of an impact and opted to stay out of battle, keeping the [Canis Lykaon] as little more than a house pet.

Within Slash Dog's shadow lay the three Vritra sacred gears that the [Canis Lykaon] had previously eaten.

So the sacred gears that are absorbed by it are rejected from its body as soon as it returned to its host, huh? Quite the interesting information indeed. Perhaps if Jin ate a person then it would be able to use the abilities of the sacred gear that resided within said person. Whether that theory was true or not, the [Canis Lykaon] was likely to be the most versatile sacred gear among the Longinus-class.

"So you managed to take out Jin, did you? Nobody save for the leaders of the Grigori have ever managed to do that. Root sure is dangerous organization if they have more members of your caliber." Slash Dog muttered aloud as he brought himself to his feet. Blood was leaking out of the corners of his mouth and his breathing was labored, most likely due to the fact that the force of the hits he had taken broke a few of his ribs. His left eye was also closed shut and blood ran down the side of his head.

Naruto stepped out of the destroyed section of the floor and pocketed his tri-pronged kunai, all the while watching the movements of the Grigori agent across from him. The older teen had his arm outstretched to the side and was presumably trying to summon his [Canis Lykaon] once more. Judging from the fact that the teen's arm was outstretched toward his shadow and that the massive dog had sunk into its own shadow before merging with its wielder's earlier, it could be assumed that the [Canis Lykaon] also possessed a powerful shadow manipulation ability.

Well, with that contract seal in place he wouldn't have any success in trying to manifest the [Canis Lykaon] in its independent avatar form for quite a while. However, though his eyes could not breakdown and decipher the structure of a sacred gear, Naruto could see that there was something fundamentally different with the [Canis Lykaon] when compared to that of other sacred gears.

"I don't know how, but it seems that you were able to seal away Jin's avatar form in such a short amount of time. However, the mistake that you've made was only sealing away his avatar form. I much prefer not having to use his original form—a form that exists solely to reap lives and torture those it slays for all of eternity—however, you've forced my hand." A malicious dark aura manifested around Slash Dog and all existing shadows in the room began to twist and distort as they were drawn to him. A black mist settled into the atmosphere in the room seemingly out of nowhere and all visible light in the room seemed to diminish almost completely, shrouding it almost completely in darkness. "Sink the world into everlasting darkness. Shower the battlefields with your inescapable insanity. Let the damned souls that you have slain weep as crimson rain stains your blade once more. Inugami of the Black Blade."

Though the room was shrouded almost completely in darkness, Naruto's eyes were able to follow Slash Dog's motions acutely. Despite all visible light having been eaten away by the darkness, the older teen's shadow still seemed to exist, though rather the position it was in earlier, it mirrored Slash Dog's position on the ground right in front of him. A cold and malicious aura was escaping from within the shadow and it gave off an intense pressure that seemed to cause the immediate area around it to decay before being erased entirely from existence.

From within the shadow a single black daitō rose up. An overwhelming evil intent could be felt emanating from the blade, as well as countless torturous screams and lifeless voices chanting something low and inaudible. The chant of sorts that Tobio had muttered earlier seemed to fit this daitō perfectly. Before its wielder could take it into his hand however, several dozen pillars of intense holy light were erected all across the room, illuminating the endless darkness and disrupting the malicious influence of the cursed sacred gear.

"Ikuse Tobio. It is forbidden for you to release the Inugami of the Black Blade within Grigori Headquarters. Merely its release could very well destroy the entire institute and anyone within the general vicinity. What is the meaning of this?"

"Hmm. It seems we've come upon something quite interesting, don't you think Baraqiel?"

Two new voices resounded throughout the room as they made their appearance. Naruto knew who these two men were without even needing their names, though the ten jet-black wings on each of their backs would help even those who didn't limit down the possibilities. Shemhazai, the Vice Governor General of the Grigori, and Baraqiel, a Cadre and one of the first fallen angels that God ever made fall.

"So two more have arrived, huh? Looks like things have become a little complicated." Naruto muttered to himself from behind his mask. He had been looking forward to seeing what this 'original form' of the [Canis Lykaon] was capable of, so he was a bit disappointed that things had ended this way. Though, he had already gathered far more than was expected out of him from this mission.

It was about time for him to make his escape anyways. If operating under standard procedure, then it could be said that he had broken protocol by merely engaging the possessor of the [Canis Lykaon]. He had already outstepped his boundaries by going beyond the scope of the mission, however since he had been confronted by a Longinus possessor, it would have been asinine for him not to gather what information he could when the situation presented itself.

"Shemhazai-sama, Baraqiel-sama." Slash Dog pulled his arm back and let the black daitō sink back down into his shadow.

Baraqiel's eyes then settled on the deceased form of Raynare that lay motionless on an undamaged portion of the floor and then finally on Naruto. "Ikuse Tobio, who is this child? Is he the one who is responsible for all of tonight's commotion?"

"Yes. He's a highly-skilled member of the Root criminal syndicate and is targeting the Vritra-type sacred gears that Grigori has in its possession." Slash Dog motioned to the three sacred gears that laid beside him. "I caught him as he was sealing away something from inside the gears, though they still seem to be operating as they would normally."

Shemhazai lowered his outstretched hand and let the pillars of light that he had created disperse since the shadows and darkness that covered the room vanished the moment that Tobio's daitō was returned to his shadow. He then lifted one of his fingers, causing the [Blaze Black Flare], [Delete Field], and [Shadow Prison] sacred gears to rise into the air and levitate in a circular motion over his overturned palm.

"Indeed. They do seem to be functioning normally, however they feel empty when compared to before. Almost as though the Dragon King Vritra no longer resides within them"

"I see. That is indeed troubling..." Baraqiel's face scrunched up as he processed that bit of information. "Though it would be even more troubling if the power of a Dragon King were to get into the hands of an organization such as Root. For that it would be better to deal with him immediately and worry about finer details afterwards."

Baraqiel raised his arm forward, summoning several magic circles above Naruto's head with arcs of holy lightning sparking across them. Each of them held tremendous amounts of power and could easily erase the entire room from existence if not controlled properly.

"Ikuse Tobio. I came here solely for the Dragon King Vritra, but you've piqued my interest. I look forward to the day we fight once more." With those parting words, Naruto disappeared in a flash of yellow. His departure was perfectly timed as the instant he vanished, Baraqiel's holy lightning rained down on his previous position, completely vaporizing a large portion of the floor below.

Shemhazai closed his eyes and confirmed that he could not feel the masked boy's presence anywhere within the Grigori. He let out a sigh and turned back toward the door that they had entered from. "It seems that he managed to escape, and with the soul of a Dragon King no less. Tobio-kun, come with me. We should get your injuries taken care of and then report this to Azazel. Your witness account will be quite important."

* * *

At this time of year, the weather in Yokohama was always beautiful. Though August was really only a month before the summer season of the year ended, it always tended to be the hottest. Hottest didn't mean unenjoyable though as children could be seen playing about in parks, families were setting up picnics under the shade of trees, teenagers were laying under the sun watching the clouds pass by, and everyone just seemed to be going about their day leisurely. The midday sun shone over the afternoon sky and showed no signs of setting anytime soon. There was a slight breeze rustling through the city streets, cooling down the slightly warm temperature and allowing the trees that occupied the area to gently sway.

The city hadn't changed in the slightest since the last time he was here.

Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blond hair as it was blown about by a particularly strong wind. His cerulean blue eyes scanned over the small slip of paper he held in his hand that possessed the directions to his new apartment before looking up to see if he was anywhere close to the address yet. Slung over his shoulder was a black backpack and in his other hand was a small traveling bag, so most would assume that he was a tourist.

It wasn't uncommon to see tourists around Yokohama during the summer season, however, despite first impressions he was indeed half Japanese and had actually been raised in this very city. Though it had been a few years since he had been here.

Glancing around, Naruto finally found the street address and name of the apartment complex that matched what he had on his directions. Looking back down at his directions, he nodded to himself in confirmation and folded up the slip of paper before returning it to his pants pocket. His gaze then shifted up toward the apartment complex itself.

It was a small, two-story building that—while perfectly livable—was a bit more on the run-down side. While not the most ideal of living arrangements, he had certainly made do with worse.

Putting that aside, Naruto made his way onto the property and through the small garden area. He stopped in front of what looked to be the apartment manager's living quarters and pressed the door buzzer next to the Japanese-style sliding door. While he waited he noted that while the apartment manager's living space appeared to be of a traditional Japanese-style, the regular apartment units were of a western-style.

"Yeah?" The sliding door violently slid open, revealing a small older woman with her gray hair tied up into a bun. "We don't need whatever it is you're selling! Hm. Wait, you don't look like a salesman. Oh, you must be animal control! There have been a couple stray cats hanging around here lately. I don't know if the tenants have been feeding them, but I want them gone!"

"Huh?" Naruto put on a confused face at the odd misunderstanding. "Ah! No, no Obaa-san! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the one who inquired about the apartment space that you have available."

The old lady seemed to have a look of realization after he said that. "Oh, you're the new tenant? Sorry, I hadn't been expecting someone so young. The one who contacted me on the phone through the real estate office sounded much older."

"Hmm. Who was it that set me up here again?" Naruto pondered out loud. "Ah. It doesn't really matter. I think it was either my uncle...or maybe my aunt? Well, I don't know all the details either, this was all a little sudden for me as well. The relatives that I had been staying with travel a lot on business and had just been offered a position within their company oversees, though I had decided to remain in Japan. As soon as they saw your advertisement for apartment space they probably went straight to the real estate agency to set everything up. And here we are." Naruto explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

The old woman nodded in understanding. "Well if that's the case, it's understandable enough. Your relatives already took care of the security deposit and first-and-last-months' rent. All that's left is to sign the lease agreement, but I'll get that paperwork together later. Let me just grab your keys and I'll bring you up to your unit."

"Your quite the easy-going landlady compared to the places I had been looking at previously, Obaa-san." Naruto smiled at the old woman as she went into the back rook to fetch a set of apartment keys.

"What's with the 'Obaa-san' crap? Show some respect from your elders!" The woman scolded as she returned to the front room. "Now come on. Your unit will be on the second level."

Naruto followed the woman out of the Japanese-styled room and closed the sliding door behind him. They walked through the small garden and made their way up the staircase that was near the entrance to the property and offered easy access to those going and returning. Despite its shabby appearance, Naruto noticed that the apartment building had a quiet and peaceful atmosphere that would go well with his type of lifestyle.

"Oh by the way Uzumaki-san—" The woman began as they traveled up the second flight of stairs, but was cut off by Naruto.

"Naruto is fine. When people say Uzumaki-san I immediately turn around to look for my relatives. Formalities make me a bit uncomfortable as well because of my casual manner of speech." Naruto admitted while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's a habit I picked up while I was overseas."

The landlady raised a finger to her chin as a questioning look appeared on her face. "Hm. I heard from the realty agency that you had spent that last few years abroad, but that you were originally from Japan."

"Yeah. I was raised here in Yokohama actually, though by my appearance you might guess that I'm only half Japanese." Naruto smiled as he looked down at the woman. With his blond hair and blue eyes, most would assume that he was actually an American. "I'm actually half Italian as well and spent a bit of time there in the past three years, but I've been mostly living in Northern Europe during my time away from Japan."

The two of them ascended onto the second level and walked down the long hallway, stopping at the very last apartment unit on the level.

"Well, I know it must be hard getting accustomed to Japanese culture again and such, but try to get along with your neighbors and don't cause any trouble." The old woman requested as she took the apartment keys and unlocked the door.

Naruto took the set of keys that she handed him and gave a small bow in appreciation. "No problem, Obaa-san. I like to think that I'm a pretty friendly and sociable guy, so I shouldn't have a problem with the other tenants. Bringing around trouble shouldn't be much of an issue either since I should be working most of the time."

"Well that's fine then." The landlady took a few steps away from the door so that she was no longer blocking the entrance. "I'll draw up the rest of the paperwork and bring them up later today. Until then, it'll be fine if you get settled in."

"Thanks a lot, Obaa-san!" Naruto gave the old woman a big cheesy smile as she made her way back down the hall.

That smile remained on his face as he gripped the door handle and stepped into the room. Though as soon as the door shut behind him, that cheerful, outgoing persona faded and was replaced by a cold, calculating look.

His piercing eyes surveyed the apartment, though nothing looked particularly out of place. He walked into what looked to be the living room and set his bags down up against the wall, after which he went through the standard check to make certain that the room was secure. He moved into the kitchen area and turned on the faucet in the sink, letting it run. This would provide enough background noise to cover his movements while he checked for any listening devices.

Moving back into the living room, Naruto started with the small desk which happened to be one of the few pieces of furniture in the apartment. Pulling out the two drawers, Naruto inspected them closely until he ascertained that they were clean. He then positioned himself under the desk and ran his hands along the sides. They were also clean. He repeated a similar process with the bathroom, bedroom, closet space, and kitchen as well.

After every inch of the apartment was meticulously looked over, Naruto could safely determine that the unit was free of any previously planted listening devices.

Those who lived a normal, everyday life would have seen this as a meaningless and paranoid act, but for a Root agent it could mean the difference between life and death. Off the top of his head, he could name at least two dozen targets that were exponentially stronger than him that he had taken out only through surveillance and preparation on his end.

Though those days where he was considered the dead-last amongst the trainees had long since passed.

He was no prodigy, that much he would freely admit. He had no talent, he didn't possess a high intellect, he didn't inherit any special traits, he was just a kid born with a powerful sacred gear. But even then, it was worthless because he didn't possess the knowledge or stamina to be able to utilize it to its full potential. In his youth he was considered a disgrace to the organization, not even worth the time or effort to train. As such, Root decided to simply keep him around until his body developed enough to handle the stress that his sacred gear put on it.

What he did have, however, was an indomitable will that refused to accept being looked down upon and only yearned for acknowledgement. As such he took matters into his own hands. Training his body everyday until his bones shattered under the stress, then letting his sacred gear passively repair them so he could get back up to continue his training regimen. Spending countless hours studying medicine, biology, chemistry, anatomy, psychology, physiology and various other fields that would benefit his understanding of his sacred gear. Steadily building up his chakra reserves and control after going through the standard process of gaining it just as every other Root member had. For years he continued to put himself through such torturous training methods in order to become of use to the people who saved his life when he didn't even know who he was.

That initiative made all the difference as he eventually became the youngest Root operative to be put in the field at the age of ten and was later promoted to an executive position at the Northern Germany branch at the tender age of thirteen, something that was unheard of in the history of the organization.

Though after the conflict with the Norse that had been settled several months ago, the branch offices in Northern Europe had been forced to lay low for the time being—making it more difficult to conduct business and complete missions—and he had been ordered back to Root Headquarters in Japan.

After turning off the faucet in the kitchen, Naruto moved back into the living room and removed a single scroll from his traveling bag. Unscrewing the bottom of the scroll, he removed a paintbrush with the tip covered in ink. The scroll itself wasn't exactly necessary—as he was neither sealing away or unsealing anything at the moment—however, its center contained the ink that he would be using to secure the apartment.

 _'Well...might as well get started.'_ Naruto groaned to himself as he made his way back to the entrance of the apartment. Bringing his hand up to the door frame, he began making fluid strokes with the brush as he painted fūinjutsu symbols directly onto the surface.

This measure wasn't a standard of Root protocol, but a product of his own time in the field. Despite that fact, he could truly say that he hated writing out these seal and barrier formulas every time he was relocated to a new residence. This process was quite time consuming—oftentimes taking several hours at the very least—and was incredibly tedious, as he needed to cover every wall that connected to the outside world, along with the floor and ceiling. Surfaces that couldn't be broken through to get into the apartment—such as the walls that divided the living room and the bedroom—were not subjected to this treatment, however, the wall that divided his apartment and the one next door would be.

Despite his ranking as the top field agent within the organization, Naruto did have his own specialization as an executive. He was in charge of illegal organ harvesting and black market organ trade, the most profitable of Root's dealings alongside drug trafficking. With a worldwide shortage of organs available for legal transplantation and an average wait time of three and a half years for an organ to become available through legal channels, many turn to illegal organ trafficking in their desperation.

Though the need for organ transplants touched every corner of the globe, Root had systematically cornered the market in organ trade solely because of Naruto. One of the many abilities of his sacred gear was the precise removal of any organ or tissue without the risk of deterioration after excision, no matter the time that passes. With that overwhelming advantage and his own unparalleled prowess as a surgeon, he had revolutionized organ trade to the point where patients from all over the world would sooner turn to Root for a transplant than their local hospitals.

The harvesting of organs from a single body could save up to eight lives through the removal of its organs and could save or enhance more than one hundred lives through the use of its tissue. That being the case, a large operating room or expensive laboratory was not necessary to preform these delicate operations. With a little remodeling and a few modifications, one of the larger rooms in the apartment could easily be converted into a makeshift operating room. The sealing and barrier formulas that he was setting up—while serving their purpose of preventing anyone from forcing their way in and intruding on him—would also prevent any sound from leaving the unit and neutralize any lasting smell from the corpses that he would be operating on.

It wasn't the most glamorous of positions, but it benefitted both Root and the tens of thousands of people that would have died waiting for an organ to become available otherwise.

After finishing up his final brush strokes, Naruto stepped back from the bedroom wall and breathed out a deep sigh in exhaustion. He returned his paint brush to the scroll, after which he took a look around the apartment. Fūinjutsu symbols covered the floors, ceiling, and most of the walls so completely that the original color of the surfaces could barely be seen.

Raising one of his hands into a single hand seal, the fūinjutsu formulas were outlined in a light blue color and sank into the surfaces they were painted on as Naruto completed their activation. When the light died down, the apartment had regained the appearance it originally possessed with not a single spec of ink marring the bland complexion of its surfaces.

With that done, Naruto through the scroll in his hand onto his bag in the corner of the room and made his way over to the window. He opened up the curtains and slid open the window, allowing the cold night air to hit his face. Judging from the night sky and position of the moon high up in the air, he had been setting up those barrier and sealing formulas for at least several hours—as per expectations.

Looking down at his watch, he idly noted that the apartment manager shouldn't be by for another hour or so. That meant he had quite a bit of time to himself until then.

He supposed that he could unpack his belongings in the meantime, but he really didn't have very many personal items and what he did have was already conveniently stored in storage scrolls. He could take a walk around the neighborhood to familiarize himself and work out some emergency escape routes and contingency plans—like he usually did when stationed in a new area—but he knew Yokohama like the back of his hand and had already established that the city hadn't changed in the least since he had last been here. With those two out that left...

Naruto's train of thought was cut short by a loud growling sound that permeated the stale air of the apartment. One of the primary functions of his barrier seals was preventing sound from leaving the apartment, however, it did nothing to the sound coming in from the outside. That being said, he was certain that the growling was coming from within the apartment—and since he had already done a thorough check of the unit—that left only one source as the origin of the noise...

Looking down, he confirmed that it was his stomach that was making such an obnoxious noise.

He turned his head toward the direction of the kitchen, before remembered that he hadn't brought along any food with him besides ration pills—which he wouldn't recommend anyone to eat outside of missions.

"I guess I should stock up on some food then."

* * *

Root had not always been involved in terrorism and high-profile criminal activity. Originally it had been a research institution with the goal of human advancement under various experimental programs after its founding in the early years of World War II. The study of these experimental programs was taking the premise of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection to its limits. The aim of those researchers was to accelerate the slow and short steps of natural human evolution into giant leaps.

The experimental programs were largely successful, producing soldiers with strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability, and healing that reached the zenith of natural human potential. However, those soldiers never had the chance to step foot on the battlefield as the United Nations received word of the project's completion from their spies within Japan beforehand. Out of fear, the United Nations dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—which housed two of the three research institutes—in order to erase any existence of the project and force a Japanese surrender.

The third institute resided in Yokohama and was thought to have been destroyed in the Great Yokohama Air Raid of 1945, where approximately seven to eight thousand people were killed and nearly half of the city was reduced to rubble. However, as opposed to the other two research institutes, the third institute was built deep underground and out of the public eye because the experimental programs that were being carried out were far more extreme and inhumane, thus surviving the air raid.

Though it survived the Allies' firebombing campaign, the third institute was ordered to be disbanded and shutdown after the war's conclusion. During wartime it was widely accepted for more extreme measures to be taken—as demonstrated with the dropping of the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—in order to prevent more lives from being lost, but once that looming threat vanished so did that acceptance. As such, top officials of the Japanese government reached the conclusion that it would not bode well for them to be linked with the cruel and inhumane actions of the third institute.

The survival of the third institute was covered up and labelled as having been destroyed during the air raid on Yokohama. Its research facilities and laboratories were raided and the scientists, researchers, and test subjects were killed. All documentation and research was transferred into the possession of the government and the institute was left abandoned deep beneath the surface of Yokohama, existing as nothing more than an empty facility that was closed off from the outside world.

It was the perfect coverup of what could have caused a controversy that paralleled the United States' decision of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Or it would have been if not for the fact that the Japanese government had overlooked one crucial detail.

The head of the third institute was a very cautious and vigilant man. Such was to be expected out of a man in his line of work. He had originally been a kind-hearted, laid-back, and optimistic man with an easy-going approach in life, however, what he saw on the battlefields as a soldier during the first world war changed him. When he finally stepped foot on Japanese soil again, he had grown into a pragmatic and serious man who was distrustful of all but his closest friends.

With the war over and many options still open for his future, he turned toward genetics research with the images of his comrades dying off in troves within trenches and having to sleep amongst their bodies still fresh in his mind. Though distrustful of the government and far from a patriot, he took up the position of head authority and researcher of the third institute in order to do his part in the war effort of World War II.

He eventually fell in love with one of his female researchers not long after the institutes were founded and had a child with her. She died from the stress that childbirth put on her body, but their son survived. A boy that they had previously agreed to name Shimura Danzō.

With his natural distrust toward the government and the nature of his research, he and his lover had agreed to keep the birth of their child a secret before her unfortunate death. As such, Danzō grew up within the third institute—away from the public eye—where not even the other researchers knew of his existence. For five years Danzō lived within the confines of that institute and on his fifth birthday, he was hidden away by his father in a secret passageway beneath his office just before several dozen armed government soldiers raided the institute and massacred all those within. From his hiding place, Danzō witnessed the entire scene.

That incident and the trauma Danzō suffered that day was what eventually led to the birth of Root. With his father's research in hand and a single leaflet with a magic circle inscribed into it that he had by chance been handed in the streets of Yokohama—which introduced him to the supernatural world—Danzō created the most powerful and influential criminal syndicate that the world had ever seen, perfecting his father's research and advancing it by leaps and bounds.

That was the man who now stood in the depths of Root's headquarters, in what was formerly the third institute's laboratory.

"So he finally managed to track down all the soul fragments of the Evil Black Dragon, Vritra, did he?" The man standing next to Danzō commented in a slightly pleased tone. His golden slitted eyes shone with an unreadable emotion as he stared at the numerous rows of human-sized containers filled with liquid. Floating within these containers were the test subjects for a high-priority experiment that he was currently occupied with. "I suppose that even with his eyes, it would take time to find all of those sacred gear possessors with how many pieces Vritra's soul was split into. Śakra certainly did a number on him."

"You're too eager to revive your ancestor, Orochimaru. I need not remind you that we will only get one chance to perform the ritual before it gains the attention of the other factions." Danzō sternly warned his most senior executive. "With Naruto's ability to analyze the body of all living beings—allowing him to determine whether or not a body possesses a sacred gear with a single glance—he was able to track down all of the Vritra-type sacred gears. However, bringing Vritra to our side was only the first step towards a revolution. There will be many more to follow, but having that boy by our side once again is an important move in and of itself."

Orochimaru finally turned away from his experiment in favor of sending Danzō a questioning look. Unless he was mistaken, it almost sounded like the old fool was praising the boy. Danzō never praised his subordinates, even those that he had taken an interest in and personally trained. To Danzō, field agents and even executives were nothing more than tools, weapons to be wielded in the name of Root. Though it wasn't as if those operatives weren't using Root in their own way either...

"Is that so? I do find it odd that there are now three of Root's hierarchical figures gathered in a single territory. The standard of the organization has always been one executive per territory—Yokohama being the only exception as it is our headquarters—but there are now two executives in this territory, along with yourself, Danzō, our leader. Certainly the branches in Northern Europe took a significant hit from the conflict with the Norse, but I do wonder for what purpose Naruto-kun was transferred back to Japan. If he had been given the order to remain in Germany, our forces would have been able to hold their ground and may have eventually come out on top." Not that Orochimaru particularly cared about the condition of the Northern European branches, his focus was more centered around the return of that boy.

Of all the Root operatives that managed to make their way onto his radar, Naruto was one of the few whose thoughts remained a mystery to him. As mentioned before, everyone used Root in their own way. For some, it was their way of life. For others, they had hit rock bottom and needed something to latch onto. Some were raised from birth within the organization, making it all they knew. Whichever of those reasons—and the numerous others—it was easy to find a person's reason for living with a little digging. But that was what always raised questions in Orochimaru's mind.

Naruto's actions never seemed to have any reason at all under the surface.

"Uzumaki has become more of a wildcard as of late, though his demeanor has never been the model of what a Root operative should embody." Danzō remarked as he stepped forward towards one of the experiment containers, the noise of his wooden cane resounding through the room as it hit the steel platform with every step. "It may have cost us our operations in Northern Europe, but I couldn't allow him to do as he pleased for any longer. However, he is too valuable an asset to be eliminated. As such, I decided to station him here in Japan, where he could be under our watch and where we could respond accordingly should such action be deemed necessary."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he watched the lights fade in one of the containers and the liquid drain from its confines, marking the death of yet another failed experiment. "If he's causing such an inconvenience then why not just take care of him. Certainly Naruto-kun is an important asset to the organization, but he's also a liability. Besides...with his corpse we could gather more of his DNA rather than just a handful of hairs or a few vials of blood and maybe, just maybe, we could turn this failure of an experiment into a success!"

Orochimaru violently swung his arm out to the side, breaking one of the containers and causing the liquid inside to flood out through the shattered glass. What it revealed was the horribly mutated body of a child. The body was heavily muscled, despite its child-like size and looked as though it had been torn apart. Blood flowed our of nearly every cell and dripped into what little liquid remained at the bottom of the container, dying it a deep red. The child was just another failed experiment. A vessel that tore itself apart trying to contain the raw physical strength that originated from the minuscule amounts of DNA that it had been administered. Not a single test subject had been able to survive the experiment to recreate a being that matched Naruto's physical capabilities in the two years that the project had been underway.

"That would be the simple solution and the benefits of a new break in this experiment would be invaluable, however, it would reflect poorly on us in this critical time. Usually it would be best to think of the long-term, but in this case the short-term needs to be our main focus." Danzō calmly explained, not at all perturbed by the gruesome sight of the body before him. "We should have the necessary components to begin the ritual in just under a year, until then Uzumaki's abilities will be invaluable. Especially since Longinus are said to be able to slay even the Gods, and with what we have planned it may very well come to that."

"What of the other Longinus possessor that recently emerged?" Orochimaru inquired, ridding his arm of any excess liquid and glass. "The [Absolute Demise] I believe it was. I don't recall hearing of what became of that particular investigation. Though since it was instigated by the German branch under Naruto-kun's command, I suppose our operatives were forced to pull out prematurely due to the rising tensions with the Norse."

Danzō stared into one of the tanks that was still operational and observed as the bones shifted beneath the child's skin until they erupted outwards in a shower of blood, piercing through the boy's organs and tissue killing him instantly. The elder man didn't even flinch as the bones elongated and pierced through the glass of the container, their growth stopping merely inches away from his un-bandaged eye.

He answered Orochimaru as the light within the tank shut off and the liquid within drained out through the bottom. "All that is known is that the [Absolute Demise] possessor is currently a member of the Magician's Association, the Grauzauberer under Mephisto Pheles to be precise. Our aim was to recruit this magician into our organization after identifying them, but our operatives were unable to ascertain their identity before being pulled out. However, now that things have settled down we may have received a second chance..."

"Every time a Longinus emerges, the balance of the world is placed into their hands. That's why it has always been preferred that the host never awakens their sacred gear, at least in the eyes of the three factions." Orochimaru recalled the words of the numerous members belonging to the three factions mentioned in the bible that had been captured and interrogated by Root over the years. Each and every one of them had spilled their guts and turned on their factions after several hours of torture at the very most, though the organization had never been able to get its hands on high-ranking figures within any of the three factions. "However, if their awakening is inevitable or has already passed, the only options left are assassination or bringing them over to our side. And if the chance to gain a powerful asset on our end presents itself, it would be foolish not to capitalize on it."

Sacred gear users made up a fair portion of Root's operatives, a fact that was not very surprising since every member of the organization was born with human blood flowing through their veins. Some were born as hybrids, some were implanted with organs that originally belonged to high-class devils, some were administered with the blood of youkai, some went through even more unspeakable methods in order to match the beings from other factions. However, each and every member of Root was born with human DNA.

Since much of its members relied heavily on their sacred gears, Root was naturally deeply invested in the research and development of sacred gears and sacred gear users. Their understanding wasn't as far along as that of the fallen angels, but it was a close second. Despite that, there was still much of the system created by God from the Bible and many of the sacred gears, themselves, that remained shrouded in mystery.

"Longinus possessors are hard to come by, and for good reason. Out of the hundreds of sacred gear possessors within our ranks, only one can claim to hold the title of Longinus. The fourteenth Longinus that was only born this generation, [Operation]. The ability to create a _territory_ wherein the user obtains the power to manipulate anything within it in a surgical manner, an absolute immunity to disease and poison, and near perfect regenerative capabilities. And in the hands of Uzumaki, it is truly a sight to behold." Danzō praised, recalling the variety of abilities that belonged to the fourteenth Longinus. Though there was still much that was unknown about it since Uzumaki was the first host who wielded the [Operation] as a Longinus. "However, it is too much to hope that [Absolute Demise] will be of equal caliber to [Operation]. That being said, the pieces for the infiltration of the Magic Council are already in place..."

"I do hope that this time goes better than the last attempt to recruit a Longinus into our organization. We can't afford to let anything like the [Telos Karma] incident happen again." Orochimaru turned around and began moving toward the exit, but not before sending Danzō a sidelong glance. "Just give the order and I'll have my subordinates deal with Naruto-kun. Matching his strength is out of the question, but I've been developing a new kinjutsu that should be enough to tip the scales."

Having nothing else more to say, Orochimaru continued with his departure from the spacious laboratory. The sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the room continued as he disappeared into the darkness of the room, leaving Danzō as the only one to remain.

"In time that may come to be the only solution, however, at the moment I need every weapon available at my disposal." Danzō mused to no one in particular. "Though before any of that comes to fruition, I need to first rid myself of the rat that has invaded my territory..."

* * *

Naruto sighed in content as he slurped up the steaming hot noodles from a cup of instant ramen, guiding them to his mouth with a pair of chopsticks. As he had thought, Japan had the best instant ramen. It wasn't as though Germany didn't sell instant ramen—he wouldn't have survived these past few years without his main dietary staple—it just couldn't compare to the kind sold in Japan.

The refrigerator in the corner of the room managed to catch Naruto's eyes for the briefest of moments as he guided more noodles into his mouth. Despite having already made a trip to the local market, it remained empty save for a carton of milk, some orange juice, and a little butter. For all his skill and experience, cooking was a field that he possessed no talent in. The few attempts that he had made in his early life ended up tasting even more repulsive than the ration pills—which was a feat in its own, though not the good kind.

With is poor talent in the kitchen, naturally there were very few things that he needed to grab while on his little excursion to the supermarket. The vast array of instant ramen that filled his cupboard was an accurate sample of his everyday diet. There were a few loaves of bread and some dried goods to add in a little variety, but all in all he was an individual who lived off of instant meals. He was living the dream of teenage boys all across the country with his current bachelor-esque lifestyle without even knowing it.

He never really understood dreams.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by a knocking sound coming from the back room, though he never stopped his meal. Having been expecting a visitor for quite some time now, he got up from the kitchen table and made his way through one of the doorways until he was at the window where the sound was coming from. Opening up the curtains, he stared down at the form of an average-sized black cat sitting on the windowsill.

With his history involving luck and karma, it was never good when he came across an omen of misfortune. However, seeing this was how Root operated in its Japanese territory those superstitions shouldn't apply in this instance.

"What have you got?" Naruto asked the cat after opening up the window. He reached down and took off the cat's collar, flipping it over and quickly finding the seal formula inscribed on its underside.

As an underground organization, Root made extensive use of word-of-mouth communication in relaying both missions and operative status. Most operatives had minimal amount of contact with their branch headquarters, however, the executives that ran each branch had their own personal way of doing things. Naruto was an exception since—despite being an executive—he continued to operate as a field agent.

The cat was nothing more than a cat, though its mind had been possessed by a Yamanaka clan member in order to discreetly deliver assignments and messages to the operatives in the immediate area. For the Japanese offices, the Yamanaka clan was essential in surveillance, reconnaissance, and communication. Magic formulas for teleporting mission assignments to designated locations was a method that was previously used, but was risky if there was an individual in the area who excelled in reading the flow of auras.

"Your standard assignments, though Danzō-sama has also added an additional mission that is to be completed in a timely manner." The cat responded in a feminine voice before jumping off the windowsill and onto the outer walls of the apartment complex.

Once she was out of his sight, Naruto shut the window and closed the curtains behind him. He put the collar down onto the small table in the bedroom and pushed some chakra into it, releasing the seal. From the seal emerged two scrolls, one white and one black. He placed the white scroll off to the side of the table for the time being since he knew it to contain freshly deceased bodies for organ harvesting, and took the smaller black scroll into his hands.

Black scrolls usually represented a mission that had no particular specialization, but rather one that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. They could range anywhere from B-rank to S-rank mission and were usually only assigned to the upper ranking of field operatives that the residing field office believed to be capable of getting the job done with the least chance of failure.

Naruto smirked as his eyes scanned over the last few lines of writing that were presented on the scroll. He hadn't gotten a mission that sounded this exciting in quite a while, and he didn't even need to travel halfway across the country since it was in his own backyard.

 _'So the second son of the Phenex house has been given control of the Yokohama territory, huh? Poor bastard doesn't even know what he's gotten himself into.'_

* * *

 **Chapter End**

 _To everyone who made it through this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. If not, then I hope you stick around and maybe you'll find something to your liking in the next few chapters. My inspiration for writing this story was that I wanted to focus on something different in this crossover section. You won't find the more commonly used plot lines, overly-used cliches, and typical romances that you will find in your normal Naruto/DxD story but I don't intend to go completely off the rails and write a story that has absolutely no resemblance to the source material._

 _I know at this point "Naruto" doesn't really resemble Naruto all that much—and I had originally planned to flesh out his character a lot more in the original version—but I wanted to focus a lot on building the setting and atmosphere in which Naruto is currently living his life. You've probably noticed that it's a lot different from your typical DxD-born Naruto story and I really needed to get that point across so that the rest of the story made sense._

 _By "original version" I mean that I've re-written this chapter so many times that I can't count them on my hands and toes. This chapter went through so many versions, scene changes, and re-writes that I nearly decided to just scrap everything halfway through out of frustration. But after getting over those humps I can say that I'm really enjoying how the story has turned out so fan and I'm really having fun with it. The first chapter is always the hardest to get through, everything else should flow from there._

 _You may be thinking that this will be a story that is just filled with characters from the Naruto universe, but I can tell you that won't be the case. If you want a ratio then I'd say it'd be 99:1 in favor of DxD characters. If having a bunch of characters from the Naruto verse isn't really your thing then you shouldn't have a problem with this plot._

 _Honestly through the duration of writing this story I had always planned to say a lot at my end author's note, but I can't seem to remember what I wanted to voice so I'll just let you come to your own opinion about my story and we'll go from there._

 _So review, flame, criticize, rant, correct, analyze, PM, do whatever you want. I'd really appreciate any kind of feedback you all could offer me since I'd like to hear your honest opinions with how much time I've spent on this chapter alone._


	2. Fanning the Flames

Chapter 2: Fanning the Flames

 _Hey everyone, thanks for the wait as I unexpectedly took my time to get this one out. Hope you enjoy it._

 _I just thought I'd announce as soon as possible that I have made my final decisions for the pairing. It will be a double pairing primarily_ — _maybe a third girl added in later on depending on how the story progresses_ — _with Irina and Valerie Tepes. However, there will be girls that have crushes or romantic feelings on Naruto that are not necessarily reciprocated in the sense of dating or sex._ _Ex: As I mentioned before Kunou will be an important character in the story, but will not be a part of the pairing because of age reasons._

 _One more thing about pairing related matters, just because a girl is not romantically involved with Naruto does not necessarily mean that she will be paired with someone else. I don't really know why, but it's kind of a turn-off for me to read a story where it feels like every character needs to be paired off, so I don't intend on writing one. The only exception is if two characters were paired together in the source material, but when it's something like Issei's canon harem...I don't think so._

 _Before anyone starts the chapter, let me first say that I am not particularly fond of emotionless characters. So if Naruto comes across as that way to some people, it is because of the environment he grew up in and his past experiences. I do not plan for him to remain that way and he will grow to have very strong emotions through important connections with other characters and important realizations about himself or his situation._

 _And to clarify, who I referred to at the end of the last chapter was not Riser. I said the Phenex family's second son, Riser is the third. The order of siblings of the House of Phenex goes: Ruval, an unnamed second son, Riser, Ravel. I was referring to the unnamed son, for those who thought I was talking about Riser and how that would benefit Rias in the future._

 _Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Highschool DxD._

* * *

 **Heart of a Human**

* * *

 _I don't remember much about my childhood before Root...That was the price of my sacred gear. I remember bits and pieces here and there of my old life, but the most prominent is the memory of my "death"...Back then my body wasn't strong enough to wield the [Operation] on its own energy, so my memories were used instead. It took nearly all of my memories to regenerate the damage done to me, but in exchange I was given another chance at life._

 _The only problem was that whatever happened to me on that day got into me too early._

 _I said that the memory of my death was one of the most clear to me, but that isn't quite true. I don't remember the circumstances surrounding my "death"...what I remember is the feeling. The feeling that I've wanted to experience once again for everyday since then..._

 _I don't know what made me the way I am, but it left a hollow place inside me._

 _What happened next is what I refer to as my "birth"._

 _I woke up in a pool of my own blood, nearly every inch of my body stained in deep crimson. At the time my mind was a complete blank. No idea who I was, how I got there, or how things ended up the way they did._

 _Rather than a miracle, that second chance at life may have been a curse._

 _Unlike other members of Root_ — _who undergo extensive training in order to suppress their emotions_ — _I don't feel much of anything._

 _People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I've faked them all...And I've faked them very well. It's one of the things that makes me so effective as a field operative._

 _That's my burden, I guess._

 _I'm not a sociopath by any means and understand the concept of emotions just fine...I've just always been so...detached from everything going on around me._

 _Lately that's begun to change though..._

 _I don't think it's a bad thing._

 _It's just...something inside me is screaming that I'll only find suffering and anguish should I try to find out what made me the way I am._

 _I want to know why that is._

* * *

 **Heart of a Human**

* * *

 **Fanning the Flames**

The entire apartment unit trembled from the sheer intensity of the chakra that Naruto was exuding—though because of the barrier seals that were set up, the apartment itself acted as its own little dimension—despite the fact that he was only going through simple exercises to familiarize himself with the shift in his chakra. He didn't possess the largest chakra reserves by any margin, but there was no comparison to the density and weight behind his chakra.

A steady humming sound could clearly be heard throughout the room as Naruto emitted a small amount of chakra from one of his fingers, which he used to balance above the ground—his body remaining vertical in the air. His left arm was tucked behind his back and sweat dripped downward onto the floor below, having already been holding that position for several hours now. The best way to get accustomed to a change in chakra was by comparing it to one's usual training methods, and making small adjustments where necessary.

Because of the nature of this highly-advanced chakra control exercise wearing any shirt other than a form-fitting one would only serve to get in the way so he had chosen to forgo one for training purposes, revealing the lean muscle that covered his body and a tattoo-like marking on his chest just over his heart.

The marking took the appearance of a variant of the Om symbol that is sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, though with a ring surrounding it. It was neither a tattoo nor was it a seal, it was a curse placed on him by the previous [Telos Karma] possessor upon her death.

Not that he held it against her, he was the one who killed her after all. He should have never pursued her and she should have never indulged him, it only made the betrayal that much more intense. It was inevitable though, there existed no future where things could have gone different—despite how much either had wished there was.

Idly he noted that the times he spent with her were the first where he truly felt human.

She was one of the few that left this much of an impact on him.

Her death was the very first that left him feeling...empty inside...

He couldn't bring those memories back to the surface. Every time he did, he only felt more and more confused.

The only time in his life he had ever shed a tear, was when he held her lifeless body in his arms.

He wasn't bound to emotion in the same way that most were, but even he knew what it meant to shed a tear at someone's passing.

Why did he want for her to still be here? Why did he wish that she had chosen him instead of her faith? Why did he long for her to be standing by his side? Why did he regret running her through with his blade? Why did he feel that it should have been him instead of her?

Naruto shook his head violently upon seeing where that train of thought was going and shoved it back into the deepest corner of his mind, instead choosing to flare his chakra even more in order to make the process of refining and stabilizing it much quicker.

The drain was only more taxing than it normally would be because Naruto had sealed the Dragon King, Vritra, within himself the previous night. Despite being the weakest in terms of raw power compared to the other Dragon King's, having Vritra sealed within him greatly altered his chakra signature to the point where it was near unrecognizable.

Though they are rare, there are members of Root who have powerful monsters and beasts sealed inside of them. But in that case the seal was preformed just after their birth or, at the very latest, when they were only a few years old. It was extremely rare for someone who has already begun to mature to seal something as powerful as a Dragon King within themselves because of the immense strain it puts on the body.

Only because of his powerful regeneration was the sealing successful.

His body was still a little numb from the extensive sealing process—though it had already recovered from the phase where it felt like his chakra was trying to tear him apart piece by piece—but he needed to get himself back into mission-ready condition by nightfall.

Tonight was the night.

The night that he would deal with the devil that had thought he could take over Yokohama.

After the night Naruto received his mission details, he had spent the next four days observing and investigating his primary target, Raizen Phenex—the second son of the Phenex family.

Raizen Phenex was a very influential figure in the media of the Underworld and was deeply involved in the entertainment industry rather than rating games, however, this did not make him weak by any means. His natural talent was enough to surpass his younger brother's own by a large margin and rumor had it that he had left for the Human World in order to begin putting together his own peerage.

Tonight was the only possible chance to deal with Raizen before the week's end, where he would be leaving for Tokyo to promote the media company that he had established in the Yokohama using his family's wealth and influence, and which he was currently using as his base of operations in the Human World.

Since the target this time around was rather high-profile, there was no room for mistakes.

That was why Naruto had gone to such lengths to find out everything he could about his target. Whether it be behavioral patterns, personal habits, social tendencies, personality traits, family relations, business outlook, or any other aspects that could give him a feel for his target, Naruto made sure not to overlook a single detail.

And because of that he had managed to pinpoint a window of time where Raizen Phenex would be alone and out in the open.

Raizen Phenex was almost always guarded by close to a dozen bodyguards who served the House of Phenex—the majority of them watching over him from a distance while at least two remained by his side—whether he be at his company office working or traveling the streets like a common man. However, the bodyguards that accompanied his every move were a condition of the House of Phenex to make sure he wasn't shirking his duties, rather than of his own choice. Which was why on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays he would escape the watchful eye of his bodyguards while they went through their regular shift change and instead venture out for a stroll through the Harbor View Park.

For twenty minutes he would have no protection and have no contact with anyone. He wouldn't be defenseless by any means, but it would be the ideal time for Naruto to make his move.

Until then, all he could do was try to stabilize and subdue his chakra as best he could with what little time he had.

* * *

Azazel—the creator and current leader of the Grigori—pressed a hand up against his temples as he put down the damage report from the attack on the research institute a few days ago back down on his desk. Not only Vritra's consciousness was stolen as the initial on-scene report had suggested, but also the fallen angel technique for removing a sacred gear from its host and the blueprints for artificially creating sacred gears—though vastly incomplete—were also taken. That isn't even counting the damage that was caused or the lives that were lost as a result of the infiltration.

Though Grigori and Root had been bitter enemies for decades, neither had ever made an attempt on the other's base of operations quite like this—not that the location of Root's headquarters was a location known by any but its most loyal agents. Azazel did not believe this incident to be a declaration of war, otherwise there would have been far more casualties. Root's goal all along in this scenario seemed to be Vritra's consciousness, while also looking into research that would be of use to them in the future. But if so, then how did Root manage to conclude that the Grigori facilities were in possession of those particular sacred gears.

Though an important line of questioning that needed to be looked into later on, that wasn't what was worrying Azazel to such an extent.

He was a man of peace and would freely admit to such. He'd fought in his share of battles and shed more blood than he would have cared to, but more than anything else he was a man of peace. He was among the first to fall from Heaven and the one who formed to fallen angel organization, Grigori, but after so many years of war and continuous conflict, he'd simply grown tired of it all.

He was of the polar opposite to Root who's endgame seemed to be a war the likes of which the world had never seen before—at least from what he had seen. He supposed that with their opposing ideologies, it was only natural that conflict sparked about wherever it could between Grigori and Root, much to the joy of one of his oldest comrades, Kokabiel.

What was eating at Azazel's mind was not the fact that Root had attacked Grigori facilities, but rather why now of all times they decided to make their move and why they had sent their top agent to do so.

Vritra was indeed ranked amongst the current Dragon Kings, but his strength alone wouldn't be enough to bring one of Root's leaders to the Underworld. When the fact that each of Root's branch executives are—at the very least—on equal footing with Ultimate-class devils is taken into consideration, then their motives for taking Vritra become even more difficult to decipher.

One that stood out though was using Vritra's power to open the Dragon Gate in order to summon someone like Great Red. It would certainly fit in with their presumed endgame, but it was also equally just as unlikely.

That was the problem when dealing with an organization shrouded in mystery, too many things to take into consideration.

"You may enter." Azazel announced, removing his head from his hand after hearing a series of knocks from outside his office door. The old wooden door creaked as it opened, allowing Slash Dog to slip in. "Ah, Slash Dog. Take a seat, I've been expecting you."

Azazel motioned to the two seats that were placed a few feet in front of his desk, but Slash Dog stood at attention near the center of the room instead, Jin resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you Azazel-sama, but I would prefer to stand." Slash Dog responded, clasping his hands together behind his back. "I apologize beforehand if it seems that I am acting out of line, but I would like to make a request."

"You want to go after the Root member with the dog mask, or am I mistaken?"

"No, you are indeed correct, Azazel-sama." Slash Dog did not hide his desire to pursue the one who had gotten away. "Vritra aside, he took information that could become very dangerous if in the wrong hands. It would be a mistake not to send someone to pursue him and recover those documents."

Azazel nodded his head in agreement. It was no secret that Root was already conducting advanced sacred gear research on their own—what with how many of their members had reached Balance Breaker in the past and the level at which even low-ranking members wielded their sacred gears—but now that they had in their possession the blueprints for artificial sacred gear technology and the fallen angel technique for removing sacred gears from humans, their already outrageous threat level could increase substantially. Especially if they managed to get their hands on a Longinus possessor, if they haven't done so already.

"We both know it's more than that, but that doesn't change the fact that I came to that conclusion as well. I have to ask though, are you really ready to go after him? He's different from the opponents you've fought before, what happened a few days ago should've given you a good idea of that."

The Japanese teen closed his eyes and let the images from his fight a few days ago play in his mind before opening them once again, a strong resolve reflecting from within them. "I don't need to win, I just need to get that research back...but if I'm free from the restrictions that bind me while in the Grigori and release the seals that my grandmother placed on the [Canis Lykaon] while I was still a child, then things should play out much differently the next time around."

The release of the seals that have bound him for so long...the Inugami of the Black Blade...Balance Breaker...He was not in any way of a similar nature to Vali—who lived solely for battle—but for one reason or another he found himself wanting to see just how far his power could take him. It was an odd sensation for someone who preferred fighting behind the scenes and disliked the spotlight, but not an unpleasant one.

"If that's how you feel, then I won't bother trying to stop you. Therein lies a problem before we can even begin worrying about that, though. It's likely the Root's top operative didn't simply come here on a whim or of his own volition, which means that he was sent by the higher-ups of the organization. As one of Root's executives, the only higher authority he could have is the one running the entire operation—meaning that he'd be returning to their headquarters rather than one of their various branch territories." Azazel concluded, absentmindedly stroking his goatee.

"Which we still haven't found the location of..." Slash Dog muttered under his breath, realizing that the task at hand would be more complicated than the standard recovery mission.

"No, that's not completely true." Azazel brought his hand up to his chin, appearing to be deep in thought as he recalled something from long ago. "In the first few years after Root emerged a large portion of Japan's youkai population went missing or wound up dead, which led a lot of people to believe that the organization operated out of Japan. Though that notion seemed to matter less and less as Root's influence spread like wildfire and started up their activities in other countries and their mythologies...It might be a shot in the dark, but starting up your search in Japan might turn up some results."

Slash Dog looked up after hearing Azazel mention his home country. Ever since being expelled from the Himejima clan nearly a decade ago—solely because they feared what his Longinus embodied—he hadn't stepped foot in Japan. He had no reason to since the missions he was usually assigned tended to bring him to European or South American countries. The last news he had heard of his clan was that his little cousin, Akeno, had been taken in by the House of Gremory and reincarnated as a devil.

"Japan, huh? It's been a long time since I've been back home..."

"Since you're of Japanese descent and a human at that, your presence shouldn't alert any Root agents—should they happen to catch you off-guard—and may even work to your favor. Add in your expertise in tracking and stealth and you're the obvious choice for this assignment, Slash Dog." Azazel elaborated, leaning back into his chair. "But even then it would still take weeks, or maybe even months, to grab hold of a solid lead. Bar our spies, the missions that Grigori usually undertakes are straight to the point and require immediate action. Do you think you're prepared for an assignment that'll span that kind of time?"

"Time is of little consequence to me...This is something that I feel I have to do."

Azazel let out a dry chuckle, bringing a hand up to his forehead before dragging it down his face until it rested below his chin. All members of the Grigori had a few screws loose and Slash Dog was no exception. The humans that joined were especially amusing since each of their defining character traits were enough to push them away from their own species. Though technically a devil/human hybrid, Vali was a battle maniac who lived for seeking out strong opponents and would willingly welcome death should those fights ever become meaningless to him. Slash Dog—on the other hand—was a human through and through, but held an insatiable thirst for blood deep within him that could rise to the surface at any given moment and once he'd set his eyes on a target...he would never let up his pursuit until blood had been spilled.

Whether it be his target's...or his own.

These humans needed to be broken in one way or another in order to ally themselves with an organization of fallen angels rather than their own kind.

"Very well then." Azazel relented, realizing the futility of the argument he was presenting. "Once you get to the Human World, try starting your search in Kuoh Town. The fallen angels that were used as suicide bombers as well as the one that was used to gain entry to the vault in the research facility were supposed to be stationed in that area, watching over a human which I suspected to possess a Longinus with the intention of preventing him from awakening it and going berserk. I also have reason to believe that the wielder of the [Absorption Line]—which happens to be a Vritra-type sacred gear—also lives in that area. It's likely that Kuoh Town was targeted first if one of Root's goals is Vritra...Root isn't the type to leave evidence behind, but maybe you'll find something there that'll lead you in the right direction."

Slash Dog nodded in understanding. "And if I should encounter trouble from those of the Japanese mythological system?"

"Deal with them in a way that won't cause too much political fallout." Azazel couldn't believe that he was actually saying this. It went against everything he believed in, but then again this wasn't the first time he'd had to do such when dealing with Root. "I will take responsibility for any trouble you may stir up...I don't see this situation with Root ending well on either side, but I intend to see it through to the very end."

* * *

The warm summer breeze that swept through the night sky caused Raizen Phenex's blonde hair to blow about as he walked up the final steps of the path and into the large viewing platform that overlooked the Yokohama Bay. The tie that accompanied his business suit fluttered in the wind—having already loosened it so that he could unbutton the top few notches of his collared shirt—while he walked through the gardens that were planted in the center of the observation deck. He stopped just meters before the small set of steps that led up to the railing and turned around, his dark blue eyes piercing through the darkness that lied beyond the illumination which the lighting of the viewing platform provided.

"How long are we going to keep playing this little game of cat and mouse?" Raizen's calm and composed voice cut through the silence of his surroundings, echoing throughout the platform which allowed even those beyond it to hear his challenge. "I've been cooped up in the office all day, so I'm a little restless. Stretching out my muscles might do me some good...So will you keep sneaking around in the shadows or come out and face me?"

For a moment there was no response, though that didn't last as he was seized by the indescribable sensation of being transported to another space. Though the scenery of his surroundings remained the same, the air felt calm and motionless. So the entire area had been covered and isolated with a barrier technique that could control space, now had it? His wealth of experience when it came to fighting was far inferior to his older brother, Ruval's, but he had only ever seen techniques of this nature from the youjutsu and senjutsu of powerful youkai.

From the darkness that lay beyond the reach of the platform's artificial light, a figure clad in a deep black cloak emerged, discarding any pretense of stealth as he stepped into the light. The hood worn over his head covered all features that would have humanized his presence, but the mask that was left to be showcased to the world was all too recognizable.

"So you've finally come." Raizen's voice was barely above a whisper, but could be heard clearly throughout the platform. "I was beginning to think that this city was actually a nice, quiet place where I could settle down and start a new life...but it's never a story worth telling without a few bumps in the road. As someone who makes a living in the media industry, I know that better than anyone."

Moonlight reflected off of the cold steel of Naruto's blade as he drew his ninjatō from its place on his back, bringing it down to his side as he eyed his target. "I hear that the only ways to deal with those from the House of Phenex are to overwhelm them with immense power or to completely shatter their spirit...Care to show me if that's really the case?"

"So you already know who I am, do you? It makes me wonder how long I've been under surveillance..." Raizen wondered aloud, letting two large wings lit ablaze by the fire of the Phenex family's pyrokinesis sprout from his back. "I've heard the stories. I know what organization you belong to and what it represents...but I was expecting something that fit more along the lines of the silent-but-deadly archetype."

Naruto felt his face split into a large grin behind his mask. He always felt so emotionally separated from the rest of humanity but at moments like these he could truly embrace who he was, who he'd always been. Someone who lived for the thrill of the chase, looking for someone who could push him to his limits. There was a time in his life, not so long ago, where he had nearly forgotten this feeling and thought that he was capable of change—a time that could be comparable to living underwater while holding his breath, whereas now he could finally breathe freely—but that path crumbled and what resulted from it was the curse that now bound him.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'd consider relocating to somewhere else. This city's just as plain and lifeless as I remember it and with the people to match, so I've been pretty restless myself..." Naruto let a thin blue energy outline the blade of his ninjatō as he activated his sacred gear, turning his sword into a scalpel that could only be stopped by the strongest of defenses. "I suppose it'd be polite to offer you a chance to surrender, which would save us both a lot of time and effort...but where's the fun in that? Besides, I think we're already past the point of no return."

"Don't act so haughty. Do you really believe you can defeat me? You may be strong for a human, but I can tell from your voice that you're still young. Your words and confidence are far ahead of your experience. If you can't comprehend what I'm saying, then there's no choice." Overturning one of his hands so that his palm was facing upwards, Raizen summoned an orb of intense flame which rapidly fired off a number of projectiles the crossed the distance of the platform in mere seconds.

Naruto was still for only the briefest of moments, acting upon the incoming firestorm immediately but without haste. He exploded forward in a burst of speed, dancing through the barrage of heated projectiles fluidly as he carved through them with ease. His blade shone vibrantly in the darkness as it dealt with the flames, avoiding those that would be a waste of effort to cut with the faintest of movements.

When the last projectile had been vanquished, Naruto continued his path forward disappearing from sight as he moved faster than the eye—human, devil, or whatever other species they may be—could follow. Faster than that very eye could blink, Naruto was crouched down in front of Raizen with his assault already in motion. However, the Phenex was already in motion to take to the skies, so when Naruto slashed forward with his sword he only managed to sever Raizen's legs from the knee down—leaving the raw power behind the swing to tear apart the landscape in Naruto's path, creating a deep depression in the earth and causing the viewing deck to collapse off of the high-ground it was built on.

Flames licked the edge of Raizen's wounds as he flew up into the air, a sign that he was already healing. It was only by pure luck and chance timing that he'd been able to get off as easy as he had. He hadn't predicted that his opponent would be able to get out of the range of his fireballs without being worse for the wear, nor had he been able to follow the boy's movements. Only because he had planned to get in the air for a follow-up did he escape being bisected at the waist and torn to pieces from the shockwave.

Naruto didn't miss a beat, transitioning fluidly from the follow through of his swing into his next charge. In a tremendous show of leg strength Naruto shot into the sky with superior high-speed movement, crushing the area of ground that he pushed off of because of the force exuded. He brought his sword down to his waist—though kept it pointing upwards in preparation for a strong thrust—and wrapped his free hand around it as well, rather than carelessly wielding it one-handed.

Raizen looked down from his position in the sky, unsure of where his attacker had vanished to. That was really the only way to describe the occurrence, as the boy was simply too fast for his eyes to follow. Just from their battle's opening sequence it became clear that the boy's fighting style relied heavily on physical condition, rather than magic or another form of energy—though it seemed that he was capable of senjutsu and youjutsu since he set up the barrier around them. This was what left Raizen in his current predicament. Once moment he was at the edge of the crevice he created, the next he was gone. Catching the slightest distortion in the air coming right at him, Raizen hastily summoned a large spear of fire in one of his hands and thrust it forward.

At that same time, Naruto let the energy surrounding his blade increase in output as he crossed the distance between himself and the Phenex in mere moments. He struck outwards with his own weapon, tearing through the left half of Raizen's body and into the sky past him. Feeling his left arm do limp as it fell of his sword's handle, Naruto glanced to the right and saw a large spear of fire embedded into his shoulder.

Looking down at the falling form of the devil, he saw that the man's entire left side was missing—though already regenerating. Switching the grip on his sword, Naruto spun around and used the torque to send the blade down toward Raizen at breakneck speeds. The blade pierced the man through the throat, causing him to cough up a bit of saliva as it sent him toward the ground at an even quicker pace. Because of the speed he picked up during his descent, Raizen's impact resulted in the creation a small crater—where he was pinned to the ground by the sword lodged through his neck.

With his right hand now free, Naruto grabbed onto the spear of fire that was pierced through his shoulder and forcefully removed it. After dropping the spear and letting it fall back down to earth, Naruto let the skin on his palm regenerate itself before reaching into the storage pouch on his back hip and withdrawing a tri-pronged kunai from its confines.

With his high regenerative abilities Naruto was in no mortal danger from a fall of this particular height, though he didn't especially feel like going through that experience. As such, he threw his hiraishin kunai into the ground far below his position and teleported to its location just as soon as it touched down on the earth. By the time he had set foot on ground again, the gaping hole in his shoulder had closed up—leaving behind the tears in his cloak as the only evidence that he had ever been injured—and any lasting damage dealt to him up in the air had already ceased to exist.

The trait that set his regenerative capabilities apart from those displayed by various others in the world was that it was near absolute. Meaning that even if his body was deconstructed at a molecular level, he would still come back from it good as new. Really, anything short of eradicating his spirit or erasing him from existence was simply a means to an end.

Taking hits and dealing them back was really all his fighting style boiled down to. They say that sacred gears are influenced depending on the thoughts and feelings of the wielder...but it's never said what that influence would do. A sacred gear—the Longinus-class in particular—has the potential to become a blessing or savior to whomever they awaken...but there is also the distinct possibility that it should bloom into a curse. The will of the host and the will of the sacred gear oftentimes become synonymous with one another, though there are indeed cases where the consciousness of the sacred gear cannot accept the will of their host...

Naruto lived his life in search of an opponent that could push him to his very limits and then break them, but that wasn't solely because he loved that feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins or wanted to test how far his mind and body could take him. No, things would never be that simple...His salvation would be but sleep and sweet dreams...His salvation would never be anything but death.

That was but another burden that he had to bear.

[Operation], it had many abilities but none more ever-present than the two that promoted it to the level of Longinus. Regeneration that essentially prevented any but the strongest of Gods from killing him. Physical condition that allows him to defeat even legendary creatures with only a single punch...For someone who only wished to reach salvation, his own power was the cruelest of punishments.

Naruto's cerulean eyes locked onto Raizen's regenerating form across the garden, analyzing the current condition of the devil's body and reading how much energy it had expended thus far. While the regenerative traits of the House of Phenex were exceptional, they were a far cry from Naruto's own. That being said, the regeneration that Raizen had needed to use over the course of the battle had barely made a dent in his high levels of demonic power. As one would expect from a pure-blooded devil.

By this point Naruto had already come to the conclusion that this opponent was not the one that would bring him to the limits of paradise, though it was still someone who he had been chosen to deal with. Seeing as how the fight was already progressing towards an inevitable outcome rather than one whose course was filled with many twists and turns, Naruto—albeit reluctantly shifted his demeanor from someone fighting with a purpose to someone merely doing their duty.

 **"ROOM."** Bringing his arm out slightly in front of him, Naruto summoned a transparent, light blue spherical territory that expanded to cover the entirety of the area in which the platform was located. This particular technique was one of his most basic as well as being a prerequisite for nearly all of his other sacred gear abilities aside from his regeneration and physical condition, but it was arguable one of his strongest.

Noticing that Raizen's body was on its way to being completely healed, Naruto flipped his right hand over and formed a rapidly rotating Rasengan that nearly doubled its standard size.

 **"Shambles."** Extending his free hand outwards Naruto made a single hand gesture, allowing him to instantaneously shift spaces with his sword that was still pierced through Raizen's neck. Appearing directly above the older devil, Naruto thrust forward his arm and drove the Rasengan into Raizen's exposed back with tremendous force. The impact of which was enough to shatter the surrounding earth and send the Phenex even further down into the depression where he lie.

Naruto, once again, swapped places with his sword in order to avoid the collapse of the ground. Despite the severity of the damage that had been dealt by his technique, however, Naruto held no illusions that Raizen was finished.

His thoughts were proven accurate when a pillar of fire erupted from beneath the ground, destroying the rubble and earth that had collapsed in on the area. Once the pillar dispersed, it revealed Raizen Phenex—looking none the worse for wear—hovering in midair with his two wings of fire spread widely across the sky, though Naruto noticed that his demonic power had dropped significantly in such a brief amount of time and that he was panting slightly.

"You're strong. Far stronger than I expected, in fact. But even so, you're still a human and have the limits of one." Raizen managed to get his breathing under control and let the fire surrounding his body intensify even further. "Even so, I ask that you don't die just yet. There are still questions that need answering from you!"

Naruto watched on as Raizen crossed his arms above his head and amassed a large amount of flames at their focal point, coalescing them into a mass of intense fire that illuminated the entire night sky. As Raizen sent the mass of flames hurdling down toward the ground with his arms, Naruto held his hand out and preformed a lifting motion with his index finger—pointing it upwards toward the sky—which sent all of the large chunks of earth and debris on the ground flying through the sky toward the older devil, making sure to avoid a collision course with the fireball.

 **"Takt."**

The most basic trait of [Operation] was the ability to manipulate anything within the ROOM's territory, such as people, objects, and debris—typically in a surgical manner. And despite being the most basic trait, it was plenty powerful as Naruto's telekinetic pull was enough to uproot towering trees and lift the section of the viewing deck that had earlier collapsed off the hillside from his first charge. Because their levitation was being manipulated even as they flew toward their intended target, the speed of the debris far surpassed that of the fireball and reached Raizen while his attack was still crashing down toward Naruto.

Raizen braced himself as the storm of loose debris coming at him from essentially every direction was already upon him. In a last-ditch he formed a thin shield of fire around him with the fire from his wings while they too wrapped around him—and they did protect him for a moment from the first wave that rained down on him from all directions—but his last line of defense was ultimately ineffective as it was pierced through by thick tree branches, crushed by large boulders, and shattered as everything in the surrounding sky came at him all at once and encased him in an enormous satellite that easily dwarfed the size of the technique Raizen had sent Naruto's way.

At the same time that Naruto used the Takt on the surrounding environment, he eyed down the mass of flames that continued to descend towards him. Raising his right arm over his head, Naruto activated Shambles once again—though because he was only bringing an object to himself, there was no requirement of an object or otherwise to exchange it with—summoning his previously discarded sword to his hand and swiping it downwards, separating the meteor-like fireball into two halves before it even had the chance to reach him.

Not wasting even a moment, Naruto exploded into the sky, moving directly between the divide created from splitting the fireball in two as it fell to the earth below—crossing the distance between his original position and the satellite levitating in the air in mere moments. When he was finally within striking distance of the satellite, he reached out with his left fist and released his hold on the terrestrial body causing all of the debris to separate and fall from the sky, leaving a beaten and barely conscious—despite all his body's best attempts to bring him back up to fighting condition—Raizen to slowly begin his descent back to earth. Naruto, however, had other plans.

 **"Radio Knife."** Naruto brought his blade in close to his body and wrapped his second hand around the handle in addition to his first for a finishing strike. After charging his sword with no small amount of high-frequency electricity, Naruto thrust his blade forward and pierced it through the falling Phenex's heart, the momentum carrying them across the night sky. Purple electricity exploded outward in large arcs upon impact of body and blade from the small amount of resistance Raizen's body provided for an instant before the electrically-charged blade easily cut through the tissue and organs within.

"I see...so this is the difference between us..." Raizen finally coughed up the first bits of blood that he had shed throughout the entirety of the fight, his regeneration having reached its limit and his demonic power completely drained. The blow to his heart was the final straw as the pain that coursed through his body sent him over the edge, his mind and body finally fading into the bliss of unconsciousness.

The momentum carrying the two of them finally faded, forcing them into a downward trajectory as they neared the edge of spatial barrier that Naruto had erected. They crashed into the ground—miles away from the observation platform where they had fought the majority of the battle—resulting in a fair amount of destroyed landscape from the force of the impact and the creation of a particle cloud from disturbed dust particles.

When the dust cleared after several long moments, it revealed Naruto standing tall over Raizen's unconscious body—electricity still arcing across the blade protruding from the devil's chest. They had covered quite the distance, but they just barely remained within the territory of Naruto's ROOM. Had they landed only a few more meters towards the spatial barrier, then the electricity would have dispersed entirely.

Naruto wrapped a hand around the handle of his ninjatō and slowly removed it from Raizen's chest, returning it to its place on his back despite the cracks all along the edge and the charing of its blade. Seeing as how that last technique had done the job—not just in quickly finishing the fight, but also in numbing the body and mind due to the high-frequency electrical current forcing the muscles to contract along with interrupting the electrical signals in the brain—Naruto reached down and threw the unconscious Raizen over his shoulder.

As per orders directly from headquarters, he had made sure not to kill this one.

All previous injuries that Raizen Phenex had suffered in battle had fully regenerated aside from the stab wound to the chest—though the electrical current from the strike had cauterized the wound to prevent any immediate danger—and a few surface wounds that remained from being encased in the satellite. Otherwise, he was only suffering from physical exhaustion and a depletion of demonic power.

Activating the power of Shambles once more, Naruto located the Hiraishin kunai that he had left somewhere back on the observation platform through the influence of the ROOM and shifted it into his hand. After returning the kunai to the storage pouch on his back hip beneath his cloak, he deactivated his ROOM after which he released the spatial barrier that he had used to transport them to another space. Despite the barrier space being identical to that of its physical location in the real world, the two were not the same area. So when the barrier was dispelled, all damage that had been done within it ceased to exist as well.

With the devil that had been given control of Yokohama subdued, all that was left to do was deal with the connections he had brought with him and made here—such as altering the memories of his bodyguards or staging his escape from the watchful eye of his noble family—before any potential fallout could take place, meaning that Naruto still had a long night ahead of him.

* * *

"Oh my. You all really are an interesting bunch...Longinus gears, holy sword wielders, demon sword wielders, sacred gear possessors, and even magicians." Kabuto—Orochimaru's second in command—commented in amusement, his eyes sweeping across the abandoned warehouse at the various different personalities spread throughout the premises. "Even if you do make such scary faces at me, your group is nothing more than a few humans with powers that they could never come to understand...Even with such powerful tools at your disposal, your bodies are weak. Such a pitiful dilemma."

Kabuto stood on one end of the warehouse while the members of the Hero Faction who were present remained spread out across the other upon his entry.

"...Kabuto...So you came yourself this time. For what reason would Orochimaru's right hand come all this way for a simple business exchange?" Cao Cao held a spear in his hands—the [True Longinus]—and patted it on his shoulder as he questioned Kabuto.

"Though since those are high-tier Longinus, I suppose it wouldn't matter too much." Kabuto paid no attention to Cao Cao's inquiry, instead eyeing the spear on his shoulder with intrigue. "So that's the Ultimate Longinus...The holy spear that even the Seraphim of Heaven fear. The spear that carries the blood of Jesus Christ. The Longinus that managed to pierce through the body of a God...How interesting...For what purpose did the will of the Biblical God decide on you, Cao Cao?"

Kabuto narrowed his eyes as they drifted from the [True Longinus] to Leonard and Georg who were standing a ways back behind Cao Cao. The earlier reports from past encounters had clearly labelled the two of them as the wielders of the [Dimension Lost] and [Annihilation Maker], respectively. Longinus users were rather hard to come by due to their low numbers, but this little group already had its hands on three. It was unprecedented to have three of the four high-tier Longinus gathered together like this and it was especially worrisome because they were sure to cause problems down the road.

Though it was odd how not one of these three had made it onto Root's radar before they joined the Khaos Brigade...

"You may find surprising, but it is incredibly simple. We just want to know the limits of what it means to be 'human' and challenge it. This world was meant for humans from the very beginning, so it will be the humans who defeat devils, dragons, fallen angels, and other supernatural races. No, definitely, it is humans who will reclaim this existence as their own." Cao Cao raised the index finger of his free hand and pointed it up above his head. "This is just a little challenge presented by us frail humans. Under the heavens, how far can humans go, that is the answer we shall be searching for."

"...I see...Honestly it would be troublesome if you all were to die now, so I'll give you this." Kabuto adjusted his glasses before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a scroll, which he threw to Cao Cao. "You already know how it works, just spill some blood on the seal and the scroll will release its contents. That aside, the Chaos Break—as you called it—was vastly incomplete and impractical for constant usage, so our researchers developed it into something more feasible. Within that scroll are enough vials to last your faction for a few months. Each injection is now more controlled per intake and without the previous side effects, but they will eat through your stamina much faster while in use."

"That is what our deal was, but I doubt that was all you came to this meeting point for. A mere grunt would be sufficient for something like this."

"You really can't see the bigger picture, can you?" Kabuto pulled out an envelope from within his cloak and held it out to the side. From one of the shadows behind him, a four-legged monster no larger than a dog emerged and took the envelope in his mouth in order to relay it to Cao Cao. The monsters that were hidden all across the room were most likely products of the [Annihilation Maker]. "Were such precautions really necessary? I already knew that there were monsters like this one watching me from every shadow in sight, but not having the decency to pretend as if I didn't makes me wonder if you people don't trust me...Do heroes really fear a single man to such an extent?"

After taking the envelope from the monster, Cao Cao opened it up and read over the contents. He then put a doubtful expression on his face as he looked back up at Kabuto. "Are these orders coming straight from the top?"

"Don't be so surprised." Kabuto wore a smug expression as he pulled the hood of his cloak back over his head. "An apocalypse of a different sort is brewing and Kyoto's leylines will be where our dreams come to fruition. For humans wishing to rid the world of all evil in the world, you should know that this world itself is already past the point of salvation. To create a world worth living in, first the old one must be razed to the ground. Was that not the chaos that you of the Khaos Brigade were trying to recreate?"

* * *

Raizen Phenex groaned from discomfort as his eyelids slowly opened, revealing to him a dark and cold room that he was unfamiliar with—leaving him wondering how he had gotten here. While his eyes adjusted to the almost nonexistent light, he dragged himself toward the nearest wall using his arms and leaned his back up against it. Why was his body aching so much?

As a devil he was able to clearly see despite the darkness, so when his eyes adjusted from only just waking up he was surprised to find himself confined to a small room in what appeared to be a singular prison cell. It was then—after surveying his immediate surroundings and attempting to recall the events that led him to his current situation—that everything came flooding back to him. Ducking out of work to get some time to himself, ending up at the Harbor View Park, fighting that Root agent, and ultimately being defeated.

After losing consciousness he must have been captured and imprisoned, rather than being eliminated on the spot. But for what purpose?

"Your bodyguards have had their memories altered. Your company has been bought out in a ruthless takeover. All traces of your existence in the Human World have been erased. And that prison seals away all your demonic power. Now that any hope you may have had for anyone coming to your rescue has been crushed...would you care to tell me what you and your people were doing here at my vacation home?"

After hearing the voice resound throughout the room, Raizen wearily looked up passed the bars of his prison to see the very same man he fought earlier standing against the far back wall.

"What is it that your organization wants from me?" The devil managed to ask despite the unbearable feeling of pain emanating from his chest, his voice laced with no small amount of fatigue and defeat. "From what I've heard, you people are ruthless and don't hesitate to eliminate anyone who gets in your way. Not women, not children, not the elderly...not even an entire race. Which must mean you have a reason to keep me alive, otherwise you would have killed me in the park."

Naruto stood across the room from the small prison cell, leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He paid little attention to the ramblings of his prisoner, instead going over the events of the battle several hours earlier in his head. He wasn't going over how the events _did_ play out or what could have been done differently, but rather what _didn't_ happen.

More specifically, the curse that plagued him didn't come to pass.

Ever since the event that led to him being cursed, he had learned the hard way about just how much karma and fortune affected everyday life. Whether it be simple tasks such as getting somewhere on time or a high-stakes situation such as infiltrating a kingdom and assassinating the ruler, karma factored into everything and judges everything. Though his judgement is quite different from those that are simply suffering from a case of bad karma catching up to them.

The law of karma operates independent of any deity or process of divine judgement. It is a law that is both complex and difficult to define, but is oftentimes simplified to—actions begetting the consequences in tandem with the nature of those actions. A good action creates good karma, as does good intent. A bad action creates bad karma, as does bad intent.

Because of the complex and far-reaching nature of the laws that it wields, the curse created by the dying will of the [Telos Karma] is capable of inflicting an infinite number of consequences depending on the nature of his actions...and it never hesitates to deliver judgement, however it sees fit.

This time though, the curse never came to life...

It felt as though the grip it had on his very being had lessened as well...

How odd.

"A ransom from the House of Phenex, perhaps? No, if that was the case then you wouldn't bother with altering the memories of my bodyguards. A source for producing Phoenix Tears? That wouldn't be a bad plan, but the ritual couldn't be met under these condition. You won't get anything from me..." Raizen glared—despite how difficult it was to even keep his eyes open—at the man who hadn't moved an inch or said a single word since he first spoke. "So let's get this over with. Either kill me or set me free...What's it gonna be? You can't just keep ignoring me."

"Well that's not really your choice to make, now is it? It's not really mine either..." Naruto finally thought that the conversation was going somewhere that wouldn't waste his time. "I like to think I'm a pretty merciful guy, unlike some of the others in my organization. It's more humane to put an animal to sleep rather than let them suffer, after all. But in this case I'm on direct assignment from my boss, so everything's gotta be by the book."

Naruto pushed his body off from the back wall and stepped toward the prison cell, only stopping a few inches away from the bars. From there he looked down at the barely conscious devil with cold, apathetic eyes.

"Remember this, Raizen Phenex. The weak don't get to decide anything, not even how they die. The moment your wings broke and you fell from the sky, you forfeited away any right you had to your life."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

 _There we go everyone, it's been a while but there you have the second chapter. I normally like to get the second chapter of my stories out within the week that I posted the first, but I jumped the gun a bit in posting the original because I wanted to start off finals week with something that would put a smile on my face. After that I had to actually get through those tests and had to spend a lot of time working on my Naruto/One Piece crossover, which I eventually decided to put on hold for the time being. Then came actually writing out this chapter which took a lot of time and garnered more than a few rewrites._

 _I gave you all a look at Naruto's Sacred Gear this chapter and_ — _though you may be rolling your eyes at me for blatantly giving Naruto an ability that is originally of neither Naruto or Highschool DxD_ — _it's not quite exactly what you would think since it is a subspecies. The conception of the [Operation] came from me planning to write a straight-up Naruto story with this set of abilities, but that changed as you can probably see. And since many of its abilities are similar to ones from the Naruto series and I can incorporate others into it, it made sense and fit well with a medical/surgeon/doctor Naruto._

 _And it seems that the Hero Faction has ties with Root, which is not all that out there considering that they are the only human factions out there aside from magicians. It should be interesting to see how that plays out..._

 _I know at this point "Naruto" still doesn't really resemble Naruto all that much, but_ — _as I've already informed a number of people who have contacted me through review or PM_ — _this first arc as it moves toward its climax is meant for Naruto to develop into something closer to the original through these next few missions and the people he will come to meet, though at the same time different because of his experiences in Root and awareness of the world around him._

 _So review, flame, criticize, rant, correct, analyze, PM, do whatever you want._


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